Middle Eastern Studies 

About: Middle Eastern Studies is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Politics & Middle Eastern studies. It has an ISSN identifier of 0026-3206. Over the lifetime, 2246 publications have been published receiving 22873 citations. The journal is also known as: Middle East Studies.

The Role of Drought and Climate Change in the Syrian Uprising: Untangling the Triggers of the Revolution

Abstract: This article examines the role of drought and climate change as triggers of the Syrian uprising that started in March 2011. It frames the 2006–10 drought that struck north-eastern Syria in the context of rapid economic liberalization and long-standing resource mismanagement, and shows that the humanitarian crisis of the late 2000s largely predated the drought period. It argues that focusing on external factors like drought and climate change in the context of the Syrian uprising is counterproductive as it diverts attention from more fundamental political and economic motives behind the protests and shifts responsibility away from the Syrian government.

The paradox of Turkish nationalism and the construction of official identity

Abstract: L'A. s'interroge sur l'identite nationale des turcs. Il s'interesse plus particulierement au nationalisme en Turquie et au role des elites d'Etat en ce qui concerne la construction d'une ideologie officiele republicaine qu'il etudie dans le detail. Il pose le probleme du rapport de ce pays a l'Orient et a l'Occident. Il souligne l'influence francaise et allemande lors de la constitution de l'Etat turc. Il estime qu la Turquie est parvenue a operer une synthese entre ces deux modeles. Il montre que dans le systeme scolaire on defend l'idee selon laquelle il convient d'adopter une vision occidentale en ce qui concerne la science et la technologie et une perspective orientale pour ce qui est de la spiritualite. Il decrit les conflits entre ceux qui defendirent la construction d'un Etat laic et ceux qui souhaitaient restaurer un Etat musulman au debut du siecle

Disaggregating Turkish citizenship and immigration practices

Abstract: There is a growing literature and academic interest increasingly questioning established notions of Turkish national identity and the boundaries of Turkish citizenship. The official formulation of Turkish national identity denies the existence of ethnic and cultural diversity in the country, the only exception being the religious minorities that were recognized in the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. The founders of the Turkish republic had embarked upon a modernist project that aimed to homogenize a society within the geographical area determined by the National Pact. A society that traditionally had been known as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural one would be transformed into a uniform and homogeneous Turkish nation-state. A civic and territorially based formulation of Turkish nationalism became the ideological tool with which this was to be achieved. In 1924 following a fascinating debate concerning the definition of the term 'Turk', the parliament adopted Article 88 of the Constitution.' Accordingly, 'the people of Turkey regardless of their religion and race were, in terms of citizenship, to be Turkish' and as such would enjoy equal rights. This formulation has persisted across the 1961 and 1982 constitutions, and government officials frequently make references to it. The Turkish President, Siileyman Demirel, for example, in his end-of-the-year press conference in late December 1994 stated that the constitutions of the Turkish Republic did not specify origin, belief or language as the basis for citizenship or 'national belonging'. Membership to the Turkish nation merely entailed that one must be a Turkish citizen.2 Against such a formal definition of citizenship and national identity that emphasizes territoriality rather than ethnicity, actual state practice has been very different.3 The first signals of the gap that would evolve between the formal and substantive definitions of citizenship came as early as the mid1 920s. As the modernist project confronted growing challenges, the government increasingly resorted to policies that emphasized a preference for Turkish ethnicity and language. The initial civic or territorial conceptualization of Turkish national identity and citizenship became

The strategic depth doctrine of Turkish foreign policy

Abstract: Given the boost provided by a promise of admission to the European Union on 17 December 2004, the regional standing of Turkey is bound to increase in the coming decades. This new stature will affec...